Category: Mentality

Diversity is a buzzword that has been thrown around a lot lately, and it seems to be the go-to solution for any problem faced by organizations or societies. But the truth is, diversity is not a strength, but a weakness that is getting far too much attention.

While it makes people feel better to talk about, it is essentially a waste of your time. the only place diversity is a strength is in the bacteria in the gut.

The idea that diversity is a strength is based on the flawed assumption that people from different backgrounds bring unique perspectives and ideas to the table.

However, this assumption overlooks the fact that diversity can also cause serious problems and damage unity and strength.

One of the biggest issues with diversity is that it can create divisions within a group or organization.

When people come from different backgrounds, they often have different values, beliefs, and cultural norms. These differences can lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, and a lack of cohesion. People are always pursuing their own values. They will do this to the exclusion of the purpose of the group.

For example, consider a workplace with employees from different cultural backgrounds. One employee may feel offended by a joke that another employee thinks is harmless. This kind of situation can lead to tension and mistrust between employees, damaging the unity of the workplace. I don’t think we should tailor every word to avoid offending everyone, but culture itself will get in the way of unity.

Another issue with diversity is that it can create difficulty in communication.

When people come from different cultures or speak different languages, it can be challenging to understand each other. This can lead to misinterpretations, misunderstandings, and a lack of productivity. If you have ever tried to contact your customer service representative and found them to be in another country speaking with a thick dialect that is difficult to understand, you know the reality os this. And they also will not be in too much of a hurry to help you with your problem, as they generally do not share the company’s mission.

For instance, imagine a team of engineers working on a project where half of the team members speak English as a second language. The language barrier can lead to miscommunications and errors in the work, which can ultimately cause delays and cost overruns. Or think of a sports team where the same thing is happening. Lack of communication caused by diversity will cause damage to the effectiveness of the group.

Furthermore, diversity can also lead to a lack of ownership.

When there are too many people from different backgrounds in a group or organization, it can be challenging to determine who is responsible for what. This can lead to finger-pointing which can ultimately damage the effectiveness of the group.

Cnsider a committee responsible for organizing an event with members from different cultural backgrounds. If the event fails, it may be difficult to determine who is responsible, and the lack of accountability can lead to finger-pointing and a lack of trust within the group.

Diversity is not a strength, but a weakness that is getting far too much attention. While it is essential to recognize and appreciate different cultures and perspectives, the focus should be on building unity and strength within groups and organizations.

Instead of emphasizing diversity, we should focus on common goals, shared values, and the pursuit of excellence.

Diversity is touted as a strength, but the reality is that it can be a liability, especially when it comes to group cohesion and effectiveness. While it is important to recognize and appreciate differences in culture, race, and gender, these differences can also cause significant problems within groups and organizations.

One major issue with diversity is that it can lead to a lack of shared values and goals.

When people come from different backgrounds, they often have different beliefs and priorities, which can make it difficult to find common ground. This can result in a lack of direction and purpose, which can harm the overall effectiveness of the group.

Another issue with diversity is that it can lead to a lack of trust and cooperation. When people come from different backgrounds, there may be a lack of understanding which can make it challenging to build relationships and work collaboratively. This can lead to a lack of trust, which can ultimately harm the effectiveness of the group.

For instance, consider a sports team where players come from different countries. If the players do not trust each other or understand each other’s motivations, it can be difficult to work together effectively on the field. There are instances where they can work well together, but you will likely be able to recall many instances where this simply caused divisions and cliques.

There are many real-life examples that demonstrate the negative impact of diversity on group effectiveness and cohesion. Here are a few:

The Eurozone crisis: The Eurozone crisis in the early 2010s was caused, in part, by the diversity of the European Union. The Eurozone consists of 19 countries that use the euro as their currency, but each country has its own unique economic policies and priorities. This diversity made it challenging to coordinate economic policies and respond effectively to the crisis.

The United Nations: The United Nations is a diverse organization with members from all over the world. While this diversity can be seen as a strength, it has also led to challenges in decision-making and policy implementation. For example, the UN Security Council, which is responsible for maintaining international peace and security, has five permanent members with veto power (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States). This diversity of power and interests has led to a lack of action on critical issues, such as the ongoing conflict in Syria.

See a pattern?

The 2008 financial crisis: The 2008 financial crisis was caused, in part, by the diversity of the banking industry. Banks had become increasingly diverse, with different types of financial instruments, risk models, and incentive structures. This diversity made it challenging to regulate and monitor the industry effectively, leading to the collapse of several large financial institutions and a global recession.

The diversity of political parties: Political parties are often diverse in terms of their ideologies, values, and priorities. While this diversity can lead to healthy debate and a range of perspectives, it can also lead to a lack of cohesion and a failure to achieve common goals. This is particularly evident in countries with fragmented political systems, such as Italy, where it can be challenging to form a stable government and implement effective policies.

In all of these examples, the diversity of the group or organization has led to challenges in coordination, decision-making, and policy implementation, ultimately harming the effectiveness and cohesion of the group.

While diversity should be recognized and appreciated, it is also important to find common ground and shared values to build trust and cooperation.

Diversity in politics is especially insidious.

All you hear about these days is the importance of diversity. I would ask you to think about what good you believe diversity has brought any institution. specifically what good has come from it when institutions pursue diversity for diversity’s sake. When Diversity is the goal, we miss out on the strength that would result from naturally occurring diversity.

This is the kind of diversity that naturally develops through meritocracy. When people are valued for what they can bring to the table as individuals, rather than their skin color or nationality, a natural diversity develops and the overall strength of the company or institution grows.

When people are put in positions for nothing more than the color of their skin, the group weakens.

Additionally, diversity is an insult to people. Because it tells them they were not hired or appointed because of the skills and talents that they worked for, but rather because they had the right skin color or ethnic background. That is insulting, not honorable.

How many universities have admitted students because they had the right skin color instead of the right test grades? That is not a recipe for strength. That is a habit that will weaken the entire infrastructure of that university. And if society uses the same tactics then the strength of society will fade.

Have you ever wanted to work harder but felt like there was some sort of psychological barrier preventing you from doing so? Sometimes we try to train our bodies or do our work, but it feels like we are moving through sludge. We feel like we are trying to sprint in a dream, but are going nowhere. Oftentimes we simply lack the motivation. But one way to begin to combat this is to shift our perspective. We must always remember the fact that we actually work for God. This will help us improve our work ethic.

²³ And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for^[a] you serve the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:23-24

The Bible teaches that if we change our focus from working for men to working for God, we can work more “heartily”.

Maybe you are unmotivated to work for your boss, remember that you actually work for God. Make that a constant reminder in your mind. We may not always want to work hard for our bosses if we are unfortunate enough to have them. But if we act as if we are working for God, our work ethic will naturally improve. We will not want to let Him down, so we will give more effort and quality to our work.

The Bible teaches that a way to increase work ethic is to shift your perspective.

Perspective change creates action change as well as emotion change. We usually do not have many huge problems in life. We only think they are huge because we have nothing to compare them to. The second we see someone with a real problem, we are faced with a stark reminder that our situation is not actually that bad. What changes our emotional and mental state in this instance? A change in perspective.

Our problems at work are only difficult until we lose someone we love or contract a life-altering disease. At that moment our previous issues seem petty. So why not shift our perspective now without the horrible event? How much better would your life be if you could constantly be aware of how great you have it?

And I am not trying to minimize the difficulties that many people go through. And at the same time, there is always someone out there with a more serious problem, who is worse off than we are. And that is a reason to be thankful for what we have now and whatever life position we are in.

All that is an example of shifting our perception in order to shift our mindset, and general mental state as well as our emotional state. We can perform the same perspective shift in our work, which is what the Bible is trying to teach us. We are not working for men, we are actually working for God. And if we make that shift, we will find that our mental and emotional state changes as well.

We work for God.

When we realize this and shift our perspective, the following will happen:

1. We will begin to find a little more energy and zest in our work and life.
2. What we do with our days will have more meaning, even if we are completing menial tasks.
3. Our work ethic will linearly and naturally improve.
4. We will be able to bring more quality to our work without feeling as if we are straining to complete it.
5. We will become more valuable to those around us.
6. We will possess a better overall attitude, which is its own reward and is highly rare and valuable in modern times.

Act as if you are working for God.

Whatever you act like, you will eventually become. Act as if you are working for God and eventually you will begin to have a work ethic that reflects that. And it will almost seem as if you did nothing extra to get there. Almost as if it were effortless. But it does take effort and energy to shift your perspective. but perspective, once shifted, will much more easily guide your actions through each day. Take advantage of the way you can guide your mind.

We will often work harder for others than we will for ourselves.

This does not apply to everyone, many people can create massive success only for themselves. Others need help to create more motivation in their lives. Maybe you would work much harder for your family or friends than you would for yourself. Why not combine this with the idea that you are working directly for God? And that you must do this work intensely.

The way we talk to ourselves and represent things in our minds changes the way we can create actions, especially at work. We need to learn that the work we do is important and that we can use changes in internal thoughts to create a better work ethic.

Shift your mentality and begin to work for God.

Most people are aware of medical treatments like exogenous TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy). As men age, they no longer produce the same levels of testosterone that they once did in their youth. Married men with children have this happen even earlier in life, which is one of the attributing causes to the reasons why many Christian men don’t get the frequency of sex they want.

Many men today have turned to the miracle drug of TRT to make up for these reduced levels. One of the consequences of this therapy is that the natural production of testosterone in your own body is essentially eliminated for life. If you decide to go on TRT, you will be on it forever. You will no longer be able to produce your own testosterone in your own body.

Here is a little bit of vocabulary for those who are interested. When your body produces something like testosterone naturally within your own cells, it is said to be “Endogenous” production. “Endo” means “in, inside, or internal” and “gen” means “formed” or “created“. So endogenous means “formed internally” or “formed inside“. When Leydig cells in your body create testosterone, they are doing so endogenously.

Exogenous, however, means that something is being introduced from the outside, in this case, testosterone.

“Ex” means “out of” or “outside“. So exogenous literally means “created outside“. When you inject testosterone, you are injecting an exogenous compound. That exogenous compound will shut down the endogenous production of testosterone.

Many people think that if they introduce something like testosterone exogenously, it will just stack on top of their natural testosterone production. But this almost never happens. It does not matter what the compound is, if it is introduced from the outside, the body will shut down its natural production of that same compound.

The body is smart, it never wastes resources.

So there is no reason for it to continue making a compound that it is able to get from the outside. The body also self-limits resource production. If it detects that there is enough of a compound in your blood or body, it won’t produce it anymore, at least until it detects low levels again. The optimal levels of that compound in the body have been reached, and the body could spend energy on more important functions rather than adding to an already sufficient level of testosterone.

All of that is to say that if you are in the habit of getting your testosterone from an outside source, you eliminate the ability to create it naturally. This is a metaphor for life.

Also, if you are in the habit of constantly looking outside of yourself for motivation, you are getting motivation exogenously and damaging your ability to create your own motivation.

It should be every man’s goal to learn how to create the motivational fire from within. The motivation for your actions must be internal and driven from a place of personal goals. If you chronically supplement your own externally generated goals with externally generated motivation, you will never be able to motivate yourself.

That is not to say that external motivation is worthless or useless, it isn’t. It is very valuable to occasionally look outside ourselves for motivation. But it must be an occasional thing. We must internalize enough of those motivational stories and images so that we progressively reduce the need to go outside of ourselves for motivation. By doing this we turn ourselves into self-sustaining machines that can work for extended periods of time without rest and without the need for motivation from an external source.

Learn to develop your motivation from within.

1. Learn from outside examples

Acquire motivation externally at first, but reduce this over time by internalizing the stories and lessons you learn. It should be your goal to wean off of external motivation as a baby weans off of milk. You must also get to the point where when you are not as motivated as you want, instead of looking to YouTube or to mentors, you can look into your own mind and create that motivation.

This does start by having many mentors and many external sources of motivation. But you must acknowledge now that it is your primary goal to develop internal motivation. Reduce your need for external help over time. We never get to a place of complete independence as men, but it should act as an ideal nonetheless.

We will always have teachers, mentors, and people who motivate us and help us improve, but we should not be reliant on them to the point of weakness. If we cannot even get off the couch and into the gym without watching workout motivation videos, then we are too dependent on that external motivation.

If you cannot open your Bible and train without being motivated in your Bible study group, then you are too dependent on social structures for your own discipline.

At the end of the day, every man is forced to rely on himself. You can depend on, no one. You can rely on no one. And sadly, you can trust no one but yourself. You are the only one who is going to have the ability to do your own work. You can watch all the workout videos you want, but you have to put in your own work and soak your own shirt in your own sweat if you want to look in the mirror and see any changes in your own body. No one is going to be able to lift you up, you must do everything for yourself.

Your goal is to be a self-sustaining powerhouse of a man who generates his own mental food and energy. That must and always will be the ultimate goal. Then you are no longer just a student, but you are a teacher and mentor to other men who must do the same thing in their own time.

2. Visualize and create those same motivating images within your own mind.

When you watch those motivating workout videos on YouTube, what is happening in your mind? You are filling it with images of the possibilities in this world. You are clearly and vividly reminded of what the body is capable of when men are willing to push it and force it to work. Why can you not do the same thing in your mind?

While it is true that there will almost always be something more motivating about a video compared to what you can visualize in your mind, that is no excuse to avoid developing the powers of visualization and internal motivation. You can vividly create or recreate the same images that you see on the screen in your own mind. You can play the same music, create the same camera cuts and hear the same words as you hear from an external source.

When you notice that you are running low on energy and motivation, instead of running to external sources, try visualization first. Imagine all the same things that normally motivate you. Create them in your own mind. Start working on building images now and it will become progressively easier to do so.

3. Establish identity

Make your identity congruent with your goal. Force yourself to believe that you are acting in accordance with your truest nature when you work towards your goal. This will create more motivation.

One of the greatest human drives is the need to be consistent with one’s self-generated identity. We hate being inconsistent with ourselves.

Hypocrisy is unnatural, but it exists because hypocritical behavior is often dormant. We do not realize that we are violating the very same principles that we preach. Once we realize this, we have two choices. Most people choose to go down the path of denial and rationalization. Somehow their behavior is different or they have a special circumstance. The other path is one of recognition and immediate change. We can take advantage of this powerful human need to be consistent with ourselves and use it as the impetus to adjust our behavior.

To create your identity – who do you want to be?

Imagine vividly the person you want to become and examine your choices now. How are your current choices violating your personal identity? If you can force yourself to see the incongruency and inconsistency, you can spur yourself on to change. Humans hate being incongruent with themselves, so this is an excellent tool for change.

Establish clearly who you want to be and refuse to accept any behavior that violates that identity. This is one of the great benefits of Christianity. It provides a clear, black-and-white identity for human beings. That identity then drives human behavior.

If my identity is that I am a Christain, I am forced to act the way Christians act if I want to be consistent with that identity. I cannot engage in behaviors that violate that identity. If I do, I again, am a hypocrite who will either live in denial of his behavior or realize his asynchronicity and change. A clear and well-defined identity is a tool of massive power.

Try these 3 tools to increase your internal motivation. Reduce your intake of exogenous motivation and become a man of power.

Conduct yourselves like men.